This invention is in the field of vending or dispensing devices adapted to dispense cylindrical articles.
Vending machines have already been proposed for vending cylindrical articles from front and rear columns of the articles in the same compartment. See the following United States Pat. Nos.: Lea, 1,694,599; Massie, 1,729,886; Romanoski, 2,156,196; Larson, 3,421,657; and Payne, 3,424,345. The above patents all employ generally semicylindrical cradles mounted for rotation about their axis under a column of articles. Articles enter the cradle and as the cradle rotates, the articles are dispensed. In each case, the cradle is compartmented so that front and rear articles drop into their respective compartments, and the devices are thus limited for use with articles of a specific size, and no provision is made for adapting those devices for dispensing a different type or size of cylindrical article.